What's the deal with General?

[Coffey]

So I haven't been snusing for that long. Because of that, I have never tried General. But, when I look at the info about snus, General seems to always come up as the number one brand. Yet, when I look at the personal taste post, not too many people list it as one of their favorites. Is it worth a try, does it live up to all the hype?

[carotevi]

maybe general is such a standard that it's taken for granted. if you have not tried general then you should. maybe you will like it and maybe you wont but i dont remember hearing anyone say they just really don't like it at all. personally i use it everyday along with a couple other brands.

[Zero]

Yeah, General is by far the most popular snus - like the coca-cola of snus, really. Is coke really that good? It's alright, I guess (i'm not a fan of fizzy drinks anyways, but you get the point)... somehow it's popular but I wouldn't say it's anything extraordinary. It is reasonably strong.

[Coffey]

maybe general is such a standard that it's taken for granted.

I can see how this could be the case, everyone just assumes that everyone else knows and likes it so there is no use talking about it. I also like Zero's Coke analogy, no one can really say anything bad about General, but on the other hand, not too many people will say it is the greatest thing ever without question.

[Craig de Tering]

The vast majority of snusers are Swedes and *they* don't post on snuson.
We on the other hand come from all over the planet and have only recently gotten into snus so we try every snus in existence to find our fave.

And indeed, the Coke analogy is spot on. Just look at how many Coke variants* there are. Same for General.

* Regular, Diet, caffeine free, Diet caffeine free, Zero (LOL), Cherry, etc. etc.

[chainsnuser]

General shares about 35% of the whole snus-market. This is quite a lot. But before you order a whole roll, you should recognize, that this also means, that 2 of 3 snusers don't like it too much or even don't like it at all.

Also, as Craig already said, there are many variants and the ones, I have tried (mini portion, original portion and loose) all taste a little different. If there were as many variants of e.g. Ettan or Röda Lacket, then maybe we would have another "No.1-brand".

The taste of General is mainly of pepper and lemon. If you like that, then it's definitely worth a try. For my taste, at least the loose-variant is simply overflavored and I will not buy it again. The portion-variants are more subtle flavored, but also definitely not my favorites.

My short advise is, to start with a single can on your first order of General. It would surely be sad to throw a whole roll of it in the garbage can, if it turns out, that you can't stand it.

[Cap'n SnusBeard]

General falls pretty squarely in my 'meh' category - it's certainly not my favourite, but it's not bad either.

I'd say Zero's coke analogy is a bit flawed (coca cola realy is the best thing in the world!) - I'd liken it more to Carling... yeah, it's the best selling beer in the UK, but I'll be buggered if anyone knows why. (General isn't as bloody awful as Carling, though, so don't be put off)

[nzkiwi]

general is pritty good. Can't go to wrong with swedish match. Lucky strike(B.A.T) and Kronan(swedish match) are my two favorites right now. I especially like lucky strike because it's a hermetic sealed can. You can put lucky strike in freezer or even just let it sit around and not worry about it drying out. If I buy a roll of snus, put in the freezer, by the time I get to the last 2 or 3 cans they seem a little dried out. :cry:

The bang for the buck with Kronan is phenominal. I shouldn't be telling everybody this. If kronan becomes popular the price will sky rocket. :cry:

[TBonehawk]

Lord, I hope Carling in the UK is better than it is in Canada. I also hope that General bears no similarity - quality-wise, that is. I've been snusing for about six months and still haven't tried General. I was toying with the idea of buying a roll of it from Swedish Match, but after reading this string, I think I might just try out a can first - and some others as well - from Northerner. I had heard LD Gold was similar to Ettan, so I have to try out Ettan since I really enjoyed LD Gold, and I've been itching to try Gellivare, too. I'm still trying to find my favorite, but Gustavus loose and Grov loose are definitely at the top of my list so far!

[Craig de Tering]

For what it's worth; I've had about two and a half rolls of General since i began snusing 15 months ago. It's a great snus for sure and it does have a classic taste that just won't grow tiresome in the long run.

The norwegian friend who intro'd me to snus swears by General and mocks all others. He once snickered at my can of Röda Lacket "ahh, how sweet, teenager-snus! HAHAHAHA!"

[Coffey]

I don't know, something about lemon pepper snus just doesn't sound right to me. I think I will try out a can though, which is better, the loose or portion? Or are they pretty similar?

[Craig de Tering]

Personally, I find the portion masks the full taste a bit. They're close enough to choose portions if that's what you prefer but I prefer loose always and have portions only for times I can't use loose.
Up to you whether you want portions or loose.

BTW, It's not that they REALLY put in fresh ground pepper LOL!
More like they mean it's a "peppery", spicy little snus.

[gopherbob]

To me the general portions taste much more 'lemony'. And the white portions just taste sorta wierd to me. Call me racist, but so far I havnt found a white portion I liked.

[gopherbob]

Yea i think your right about the coke thing. I would never go to a coke forum because its so common.

Now cheerwine... thats a soda to talk about!

[Coffey]

I read on another post that LD Red is pretty close to General. Is that true? Also, Cheerwine rocks! I wish I could find it here in Michigan. You have good taste gopherbob.